An editorial note…
Originally created on May 14, 2017, “this” post, one of an ongoing series pertaining to Jewish soldiers of the Second World War who were military casualties, or, who were involved in otherwise noteworthy incidents – and who were profiled in The New York Times – has now been completely revised. Specifically pertaining to events of March 19, 1945, the 2017 post (seven years gone by already?!) originally was limited to Jewish soldiers in the ground forces of the United States Army. However, when viewing that day in a larger context, it turns out that the sheer number of casualties and events on that now over almost eight-decades-distant Monday – whether on land, at sea, or in the air – and the sheer abundance of historical information available about what befell those men, merits the expansion of that original account into several posts: About Jewish sailors in the United States Navy (almost entirely relating to the ordeal and survival the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin) and, Jewish flyers in the air forces of the Allies.
Yet, yet… While I’d vastly prefer to limit myself to the straightforward topics of history and genealogy, the contemporary world – “the present” – has intruded upon the past, and has brought the larger and largely inescapable realization that:
You may not be interested in politics, but politics may be interested in you;
You may not be interested in current events, but current events will, in time, have an interest in you;
You may not be interested in war, but war and its attendant tragedies, sadness, and horror, may directly or indirectly – in the absence of wisdom, foresight, and the willingness to perceive the world as it actually is, unrefracted through darkly-fogged prisms of self-delusion, a lust for power, bureaucratic cant, opportunism, and cowardice – find an interest in you. (Well, one hopes not.)
In that light, I may post some thoughts about the events of October 7, 2023 (22nd of Tishrei, 5784 / כ״ב בְּתִשְׁרֵי תשפ״ד), the reaction of many among the world’s supposed leadership classes (whether media, political, diplomatic, academic, or cultural – the players are interchangeable) to this event and Israel’s ongoing efforts to defend itself, and, the implications of both in terms of the survival of the Jewish people and by inevitable consequence the “West” in general.
That is, of course, assuming that the West wants to survive. One wonders…
But for now, eight months after Hamas’ mass murder of Israeli Jews and the growing acceptance of open Jewhatred among the world’s alleged elites (from antiquity to the present, hatred of Jews typically arises, and is legitimized and promulgated by “intellectuals“, so its reemergence from academic institutions is unsurprising), perhaps we’re at Jack Williamson’s Jonbar Hinge: “The fictional concept of a crucial point of divergence between two outcomes, especially in time-travel stories.”.
Perhaps – unknown to us – the door to the future has been opened, but what lies beyond the threshold remains unknown.
Perhaps – like Schrodinger’s omnipresent Cat – possible futures are thus far mixed and indeterminate.
Perhaps – and certainly – for the Jews of the United States and the “West” as much as the Jews of Israel, and for all men and women of good and discerning will, everywhere, it is time to follow and act upon an adage of Charles Peguy:
“Il faut toujours dire ce que l’on voit;
surtout-il faut toujours, ce qui est plus difficile, voir ce que l’on voit.”
“We must always say what we see;
above all – we must always, which is more difficult, see what we see.”
And so, returning to Monday, March 19, 1945, here are biographical profiles of Jewish soldiers in the ground forces of the WW II Allies, commencing with the United States Army.
✡ ✡ ✡
Charles Blum, 0-1030447, a First Lieutenant in the 8th Reconnaissance Troop of the 8th Infantry Divison, was killed in Germany on March 19, 1945. His name appeared in a War Department Casualty List published on April 17, while an obituary – transcribed below – was published in The New York Times on July 26 of that year.
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Bronx Officer Killed in Germany March 19
First Lieut. Charles Blum of 1057 Faile Street, the Bronx, was killed in action on the Cologne Plain, Germany, on March 19, according to word received here. His age was 25.
Lieutenant Blum, who was born in this city, attended Benjamin Franklin High School and was graduated from Ursinus College in 1941.
He entered the Army in October, 1941, and was commissioned in Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kan. He had been a member of the Eighth Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop of the First Army’s Eighth Division overseas.
He leaves his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Blum; a widow, three brothers and two sisters.
Here’s Lieutenant Blum’s portrait…
…and here’s page 8 of the Times, where his obituary appeared.
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Here’s the insignia of the 8th Infantry Division. (My own patch.)
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The Oogle Street View below, from 2017, shows the location (or, at least what I believe was the location) of the Blum family’s home at 1057 Faile Street in the Bronx. If so, the address is now either a vacant lot or an apartment building.
Born in Manhattan on August 19, 1919, Charles Blum, the son of Solomon and Sarah Blum and brother of Beatrice, Leo, and Max, is one of many American Jewish soldiers whose names didn’t appear in the 1947 publication American Jews in World War Two. As of 2024, the location of his grave is – as was when this post appeared in 2017 – unknown.
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For those who lost their lives on this date…
Monday, March 19, 1945 / 5 Nisan 5705
– .ת.נ.צ.ב.ה. –
…Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím
May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.
Killed in Action
Axelrod, Herman Edward, T/4, 32639418, Purple Heart, Casualty in Europe
330th Cavalry Regiment
Mrs. Ethel (Morrison) Axelrod (wife), 74 Jackson Ave., Jersey City, N.J.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Bessie Axelrod (parents); Jack and Sol (brothers), 221 15 99th Ave., Queens Village, N.Y.
Born Bronx, N.Y., 7/22/16
Employee of New York Daily News
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section H, Grave 8139
Casualty List 4/10/45
American Jews in World War II – 226
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This image of the insignia of the 80th Infantry Division is from 6th June 1944
Dorf, Jerome Michael (Manuel), PFC, 36831303, Purple Heart, Casualty in Luxembourg
80th Infantry Division, 319th Infantry Regiment, A Company
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Abraham (8/8/88-8/16/39) and Mollie (Lieberman) (11/12/01-3/28/48) Dorf (parents), Robert Philip Dorf (brother) (7/23/28-3/28/69), 4654 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago, Il.
Born Chicago, Il., 5/9/23
Waldheim Jewish Cemetery, Chicago, Il. – Gate 90, Temple Judea Section
American Jews in World War II – 97
These images of PFC Dorf’s matzeva are by FindAGrave contributor Bernie_L
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This image of the insignia of the 103rd Infantry Division is also via 6th June 1944
Mines, Rudolph, PFC, 32993385, Purple Heart, Casualty in Germany
103rd Infantry Division, 411th Infantry Regiment, A Company
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin (9/15/88-3/17/50) and Sarah B. (1890-1/13/81) Mines (parents), 604 Crown St. / 763 Crown St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Brooklyn, N.Y., 3/30/25
City College of New York School of Technology;
Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, N.Y.
Casualty List 4/14/45
American Jews in World War II – 395
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…as is this image of the 9th Infantry Division should patch.
Murofchick, Edward, Pvt., 32897836, Purple Heart, Casualty in Europe
95th Infantry Division, 378th Infantry Regiment, E Company
Private Murofchick’s name also appeared in a casualty list published on January 21, 1945, the date implying that he was wounded approximately November 21, 1944.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry (9/1/84-2/66) and Gussie “Goldie” (1889-?) Murofchick (parents), c/o Jacob Murfochick (brother?), 254 Beach 141st St., Belle Harbor, N.Y. / 1596 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 10/7/24
Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, N.Y. – Section J, Grave 16204
Casualty Lists 1/21/45, 4/14/45
The Wave (Rockaway Beach) 12/9/48
American Jews in World War II – 397
Private Murofchick’s name can be found upon the Rockaway Veterans Memorial (sculptor Joseph P. Pollia and architect William van Alen), which is located at Rockaway Beach Boulevard and B 94th Street. The monument bears plaques on its four compass sides – north, south, east, and west – with the names of fallen servicemen from Rockaway, each plaque dedicated to the fallen of a specific war or time period. Pvt. Murofchick’s name can be found on the western, which, bearing the largest number of names, commemorates the fallen of WW II.
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This image of the 43rd Infantry Division insignia comes from Griffin Militaria
Rosenbaum, Samuel H., Cpl., 13156645, Purple Heart
43rd Infantry Division, 169th Infantry Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Dorothy (Harris) Rosenbaum (parents), 49 Lehigh Ave., Newark, N.J.
Ilene Estelle (sister)
Born Atlantic City, N.J., 8/11/25
Har Nebo Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.; Buried 6/25/48
Casualty List 5/8/45
American Jews in World War II – 250
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The shoulder patch of the 36th Infantry Division. T – for Texas. (My patch.)
Rubin, William (Velvel Bar Yits’khak), Pvt., 35314910, Purple Heart
36th Infantry Division, 142nd Infantry Regiment, Medical Detachment
Died of wounds 3/20/45
Mr. and Mrs. Isadore and Gertrude Rubin (parents), 10530 Clairdoan Ave., Cleveland, Oh.
Mr. George Rubin (brother), 10520 Earl St., Cleveland, Oh.
Born 10/4/22
(There’s a Draft Card for a “William Rubin”, son of Isidore, DOB 10/4/20, in Russia, address 10520 Earle Ave., Cleveland – the closest match)
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, Ca.
(Matzeva lists date as 3/20/45, and rank as T/4)
Cleveland Veterans Memorial
Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer, April 17, 1945
American Jews in World War II – 498
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The insignia of the 53rd Infantry Division: Blood and Fire.
Schankman, Nathan, 1 Lt., 0-1289818, Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Silver Star (SS), Bronze Star Medal (BSM), Purple Heart
63rd Infantry Division, 255th Infantry Regiment, B Company, 1st Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Morris (? – 12/4/77) and Minnie (? – 3/26/54) Schankman (parents), 1856 (1555?) Grand Concourse, New York, N.Y.
Born 8/23/18
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Block D, Section 2, Line 6, Grave 13; Society Akiba Eger; Buried 1/16/49
Casualty List 5/3/45
American Jews in World War II – 428
Unfortunately, I’ve no information about the specific actions or circumstances for which Lieutenant Schankman received the DSC and Silver Star.
Staller, Bernard, PFC, 12227029, Purple Heart, Casualty in Germany
63rd Infantry Division, 255th Infantry Regiment, B Company
Mr. and Mrs. Adolf (Adolph) (5/15/83-3/14/65) and Pauline “Paulie” (7/4/85-5/67) Staller (parents), 2316 Lyons Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born 1926
(There’s a Draft Card for a “Bernard Staller”, son of Louis Schiller, DOB 4/25/22, North Wildwood, N.J., address 135 East Wildwood Ave., Wildwood- closest match)
Place of burial unknown
Myra Strachner Gershkoff Papers, 1941-1946
“Returned, unopened”, by Telly Halkias, May 24, 2013
Jewish Data.com
Casualty Lists 4/21/45, 5/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 453
Via Ancestry.com, this image of PFC Staller appears in the Bernard Monroe High School Yearbook for 1943.
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Schiller, Louis (Leyb bar David HaLevi), PFC, 32695870, Purple Heart, Casualty in Europe
Mr. David Horowitz (father), 215 East 54th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born 1925
(There’s a Draft Card for a “Louis Schiller”, son of Jack Schiller, DOB 5/13/23, in Brooklyn, address 1440 East 14th St., in Brooklyn – closest match)
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Block WC, Section 5, Line 24, Grave 4
Casualty List 4/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 430
The engraving of a tank-within-a-wreath upon PFC Schiller’s matzeva indicates that he served – in some capacity – in an armored unit. Since has name doesn’t appear in the casualty list of an Armored Division, I suppose that he served with an autonomous armored unit, perhaps in reconnaissance or tank destroyers.
This image of PFC Schiller’s matzeva is by FindAGrave contributor S Daino
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Tuchinsky, Bernard (Baruch bar Yakov Meir), Pvt., 32017723, Armor (Tank “Bow Gunner”), Purple Heart, 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
Casualty in Germany
4th Armored Division, 37th Armored Tank Battalion, B Company, 2nd Platoon
Mrs. Lena Frieda (Chanchiske) Tuchinsky (wife) (1920-1990), 3033 Coney Island Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rabbi Jacob J. (Yaakov Meir) (10/15/87-6/21/72) and Hannah Rose (Krolowitz) (2/10/87-3/15/73) Tuchinsky (parents)
Rabbi Nathan Tuchinsky, Reverend Herman Tuchinsky, Harry Tuchinsky (brothers); Fay Levitz (sister)
Born Zambrow, Lomza, Poland, 10/2/16
Place of burial unknown
Syracuse Herald American 12/19/43
American Jews in World War II – 462
The image below, from the Rome Daily Sentinel of July 2, 1941 (found via the fabulous Fulton History website), shows Private Tuchinsky and fellow soldiers of the 4th Armored Division at Pine Camp, New York. According to an article published in the Brooklyn Eagle during early February, 1941, Bernard was inducted for an (assumed) year’s service at the star of that year.
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Weiner, Jack M. (Yakov Moshe bar Avraham), T/5, 20324118, Purple Heart, Casualty in Germany
177th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, A Troop
Mrs. Florence Catherine Isabell Leitch (wife) (1922-2/26/18)
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham “Abe” M. (1/15/84-10/31/73) and Esther (Goldberg) (9/10/88-7/4/67) Weiner (parents)
5323 Arlington St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Betty W. Sholder, Daniel, Mrs. Mary Handelsman, Mrs. Rose Poplow, Mrs. Sarah Alon (siblings)
Born Bronx, N.Y., 1/19/22
Enlisted January, 1941
Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield, Pa. – Section L, 450, 3; Buried 1/16/49
The Jewish Exponent 4/20/45, 1/10/49
Philadelphia Inquirer 1/15/49
American Jews in World War II – 558
The following two images, from FultonHistory, show Jack Weiner’s funeral notice as published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on January 15, 1949. The first image gives a “whole” view of the paper, with the noticed outlined in red…
…and, here’s the notice itself:
Here’s Jack’s photo and biographical blurb from the Overbrook High School yearbook, presumably class of 1940…
…his portrait…
…and, my own photo of his matzeva, taken some fifty-one years later.
England
Killed in Action
Instone, David, Cpl., 10350719, Intelligence Corps
Captain and Mrs. Alfred and Phyllis Hilda Instone (parents), J.P. 4, Cottesmore Court, Kensington, London, W8, England
Born 1922
Cesena War Cemetery, Italy – II,H,13
The Jewish Chronicle 4/16/45
WWRT I – 106
Poland
Polish People’s Army – Ludowe Wojsko Polskie
(During Operation Pomeranian Wall)
Killed in Action
Landa, Tadeusz, WO
7th Infantry Regiment
Kolobrzeg, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland
Mr. Jan Landa (father)
Born Tarnopol, Ukraine, 1914
Kolobrzeg Military Cemetery, Kolobrzeg, Poland
JMCPAWW2 I – 43
Lenada, Boleslaw, 2 Lt.
28th Infantry Regiment
Kolobrzeg, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland
Mr. Stefan Lenada (father)
Born Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland, 1912
Kolobrzeg Military Cemetery, Kolobrzeg, Poland
JMCPAWW2 IV – 101
France – Armée de Terre
Killed in Action
Migdal, Joseph (SCA # AC-21P-90434)
Régiment de Marche de la Légion Etrangère (Foreign Legion)
“Tué par eclat d’obus”
Lauterbourg, Bas-Rhin, France
Born 5/2/18
Place of burial unknown
ASDLF – 142
The Yishuv
Killed in Action
This image of the Jewish Brigade shoulder flash is from Arnold Levinsky: A Soldier of the Jewish Brigade
Rusak (רוסק), Zeev (Volf) זאב [(וולף)], Pvt., PAL/17757
3rd Battalion, Jewish Brigade Group, Palestine Regiment
Mr. Moshe Rusak (father)
Born Kutno, Poland, 1914
Ravenna War Cemetery, Piangipane, Ravenna, Italy – IV,A,1
Haaretz 4/1/45, 4/5/45
Palestine Post 4/2/45
WWRT I – 152, 256
The Jewish Brigade – 299
CWGC as “Russak, Wolf”; Palestine Post as “Russak, Wolf”; WWRT I as “Rusak, Zeev (Wolf)”
Here’s Private Rusak’s biography from The Jewish Brigade, as it appears in the original Hebrew, and, with an English translation.
נפל ביום הי בניסך תשייה, 19 במארס 1945, בשעת התקפת הגדוד השלישי לאור היום שבה נלקחו השבויים .הגרמנם הראשונים .קרבן חזית ראשון של החיל
.למד בישיבה ואחר כד בבית-ספר של המזרחי .נולר בעיר קוטנו שבפולניה בשנת 1914
.משחר נעוריו נספח לתנועה הציונית והיה חבר פעיל בהסתדרות המזרחי בעירו
.נכנס לחות-הכשרה באחת מעיירות פולין, ומשם עלה ארצה בשנת 1934
.היה חרד לגורל הישוב והארץ וער לכל המתרחש בהם
.נענה לכל קריאה של המוסדות, וכשהופיע צר הגיוס, נתנדב לצבא
.חביב על פלוגתו, רע נאמן ומסיר .בדיחותיו הכניסר תםיד רוח-חיים בין חבריו .שקט וענו, פיקח ומבדח
He fell on the day of Ben Nisach Tishiya, March 19, 1945, during the daylight attack of the 3rd Battalion in which the first German prisoners were taken. The first frontline casualty of the corps.
Studied at a yeshiva and later at a school of the Mizrachi Noler in the city of Kutno in Poland in 1914. From the dawn of his youth he was attached to the Zionist movement and was an active member of the Mizrahi Histadrut in his city. He entered a training camp in one of the Polish towns, and from there immigrated to Israel in 1934. He was anxious for the fate of the settlement and the country and was aware of everything that was happening in them. He responded to every call from the institutions, and when the need for recruitment appeared, he volunteered for the army.
Beloved by his company, loyal and giving. His jokes were always a source of life among his friends. Quiet and humble, smart and funny.
Soviet Union / U.S.S.R. (C.C.C.Р.)
Red Army [РККА (Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия)]
Tank Forces and Self-Propelled Artillery [Танковые Войска и Самоходная Артиллерия]
Killed in Action or Died of Wounds
Finkelshteyn, Boris Davidovich (Финкельштейн, Борис Давидович), Guards Captain (Гвардии Капитан)
Armor (Head of Chemical Services) (Начальник Химической Службы)
7th Tank Corps, 384th Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (7 ТК, 384 ТСАП)
Wounded 2/9/45; Died of wounds (умер от ран) 3/21/45 at 3665th Evacuation Hospital (Звакуационный Госпиталь)
Born 1905
Mrs. Rozaliya Ilinichna Finkelshteyn (wife), City of Kiev (Kyiv?)
Buried in Częstochowa, Poland, at Kule cemetery / St. Roch Cemetery, Collective Grave No. 19
(Польша, Катовицкое воев., пов. Ченстоховский, г. Ченстохова, кладбище Куле, братская могила № 19)
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Ginzburg, Tsalik Aronovich (Гинзбург, Цалик Аронович), Guards Junior Sergeant (Гвардии Младший Сержант)
Armor (Gunner) (Пулеметчик)
30th Autonomous Guards Heavy Tank Brigade (30 Отд. Гв. Тяж. Танк. Бр.)
Born 1925
Miss Donya Aronovna Ginzburg (sister), city of Belaya Tserkov, Ukraine
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Kantor (Kantar?), Ruvim Mordkovich (Кантoр (Кантaр?), Рувим Мордкович), Junior Lieutenant (Младший Лейтенант)
Armor (Self-Propelled Gun Commander) (Командир Самоходной Установка)
1st Belorussian Front, 1818th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (1 Белорусский Фронт, 1818 САП)
SU-85 (СУ-85)
Born 1924
Mr. Mark Vladimirovich Kantor (Kantar) (father), city of Kiev (Kyiv?)
KPVE-PBN (КПВЕ–ПБН) – Volume V, Page 704; Volume VIII, Page 250
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Nakhamkes, Mikhail Vulfovich (Нахамкес, Михаил Вульфович), Junior Lieutenant (Младший Лейтенант)
Armor (Platoon Commander) (Командира Взвода)
1434th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (1434 САП)
“He was the commander of a platoon of self-propelled artillery. Mikhail heroically died, saving the crew, on March 19, 1945 in battles near the city of Gdansk in Poland. The family learned about this from a letter from his colleagues after the end of the war.”
Born 1919
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Teplitskiy, Isak Efimovich (Теплицкий, Исак Ефимович), Guards Junior Sergeant (Гвардии Младший Сержант)
Armor (Radio Operator – Gunner) (Радист-Пулеметчик)
14th Guards Tank Brigade (14 Гв. Танк. Бр.)
Born 1908
KPVE-PBN (КПВЕ-ПБН) – Volume IV, Page 64
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Tsepelevich, Isay Fayforovich (Цепелевич, Исай Файфорович), Junior Lieutenant (Младший Лейтенант)
Armor (Self-Propelled Gun Commander) (Командир Самоходной установка)
3rd Guards Tank Army, 1978th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment (3 Гв. ТА, 1978 САП)
Died of wounds (умер от ран) at 2179th Mobile Surgical Field Hospital (Хирурический Полевой Подвижной Госпиталь)
Born 1923
Mr. Pavel Mikhaylovich Tsepelevich (father), city of Maykop, Krasnodar Krai
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Zolotovskiy, Khatskel Moiseevich (Золотовcкий, Хацкель Моисеевич), Guards Private (Гвардии Рядовой)
Armor (Machine Gunner) (Автоматчик)
10th Guards Tank Corps, 72nd Guards Autonomous Heavy Tank Regiment
(10 Гв. Танк Корпус, 72 Гв. Отд. Тяж. Танк Полк / 72 Гв. Отд. Тяж. ТП)
Born 1922
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Wounded and Evacuated (But survived…) [Раненый и эвакуированный (Но выживший…)]
Gershengorin, Naum Davidovich (Гершенгорин, Наум Давыдович), Lieutenant (Лейтенант)
Armor (Self-Propelled Gun Commander) (Командир Самоходной установка)
2nd Baltic Front, 78th Autonomous Tank Brigade
(2 Прибалтийский Фронт, 78 ОТБр)
SU-76 (СУ-76)
Born 1917
Mrs. Galina Stepanovna Voskoboynikova (wife), city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Killed in Action or Died of Wounds
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To conclude, the tale of United States Army soldier T/4 Edward Lazar. He was wounded, but survived.
“It is now 50 years later and to this day, I keep asking myself a question:
Why they and not me?
Why me and not they?
Why were George Fetter and Andrew Hogg killed and I saved?
There is no answer.”
Lazar, Edward Leonard, T/4, 13155230, Purple Heart; Casualty in France
70th Infantry Division, 570th Signal Company
Mrs. Ida R. Lazar (wife), Marcie Ann (YOB 1944) and Joan Susan (YOB 1949) (daughters)
6204 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. / 817 Laurel Road, Yeadon Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Eva (Ethel) Lazar (parents), 1853 Champlost Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Also 1919 N. Stanley St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa.; 2/28/16
The Jewish Exponent 4/20/45
Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record 4/12/45
American Jews in World War II – 535
From B&B Militaria comes this image of the 70th Infantry Division’s shoulder patch.
Edward Leonard Lazar’s story is an example of the challenge of reconstructing the past from the vantage point of the present. Given that he served in the military, the fact that T/4 Lazar was wounded in action is (alas!) not, in and of itself, unusual.
What is very unusual is that – as related in this video, and, in his untitled memoir of February 8, 2005 (… see transcript below …) a specific calendar date – March 19, 1945 – can even be attached to his story. This is because – unlike soldiers who were killed in action or taken prisoner – for those servicemen who specifically were wounded but survived, the date of that event instead typically remains within military archives, or, a soldier’s personal communications, both of which rarely become publicly available.
For American servicemen, though Casualty Lists issued throughout WW II (and the Korean and Vietnam Wars) by the United States War (later Defense) Department did include lists of names of servicemen wounded in action, these tabulations – paralleling lists of soldiers killed in action, missing, or taken prisoner – never included the date on which such events occurred, I’m certain for reasons of length, and of vastly greater import, the fact that the release of such information would have been a tremendous boon to the intelligence services of the Axis.
Mr. Lazar’s March 5, 2005 interview, by Lower Merion High School students Christine Prifti and Julia Terruso on March 5, 2005, is part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
And so, here’s the transcript…
February 8, 2005
The date was March 14, 1945. [sic] We, the members of the 570th Signal Company of the 70th Division were stationed somewhere near Forbach, France. At about midnight, we were awakened and informed that we were moving out.
We formed a six-truck weapon’s carrier convoy and our truck was in the middle. The only people who knew where we were going were the people in the first truck, which contained our company commander Conrad Stahl, and the people in the last truck.
Driving black out on only dirt roads, our truck made a wrong turn, and around 3 a.m. of that morning, our truck was blown up by 2 landmines. The explosion of the 15 pounds of dynamite killed George Fetter [T/5 George A. Fetter (8/16/22 – 3/19/45)] and Andrew Hogg [T/4 Andrew David Hogg (2/12/18-3/19/45)], who were in the front of the truck, and it wounded both Shulim Huber [Shulim Carl Huber (6/2/17-1/10/13)] and me, who were in the back of the truck. When I regained my consciousness, my hair was on fire. I jumped out of the truck and put the fire out. As I looked in the hedgerow, on this dark night, there stood two GIs with their M1 rifles pointed directly at me. I yelled, “What are you doing? Don’t shoot!” Later at the aid station, one of the GIs told me that my yells saved my life because his finger was on the trigger.
It is now 50 years later and to this day, I keep asking myself a question: Why they and not me? Why me and not they? Why were George Fetter and Andrew Hogg killed and I saved? There is no answer.
So, when I awake every morning, in honor of their memory, I determine to do a good deed for someone else that particular day.
Here we are in the year 2005. I have recently celebrated my 89th birthday. My wife Ida and I are married 63 years and we have 3 married daughters and their husbands, 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
This expression means, in Morse code, “I am finished with my transmission, it is now up to you.”
Sincerely,
Ed Lazar
References
Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947
Lifshitz, Jacob (יעקב, ליפשיץ), The Book of the Jewish Brigade: The History of the Jewish Brigade Fighting and Rescuing [in] the Diaspora (Sefer ha-Brigadah ha-Yehudit: ḳorot ha-ḥaṭivah ha-Yehudit ha-loḥemet ṿeha-matsilah et ha-golah) ((גולהה קורות החטיבה היהודית הלוחמת והמצילה אתספר הבריגדה היהודית)), Shim’oni (שמעוני), Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1950 – (“The Jewish Brigade”)
Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume IV (Surnames beginning with Т (T), У (U), Ф (F), Х (Kh), Ц (Ts), Ч (Ch), Ш (Sh), Щ (Shch), Э (E), Ю (Yoo), Я (Ya)), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 1997 – (“KPVE-PBN (КПВЕ-ПБН) – IV”)
Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume V (Surnames beginning with А (A), Б (B), В (V), Г (G), Д (D), Е (E), Ж (Zh), З (Z), И (I), К (K)), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 1998 – (“KPVE-PBN (КПВЕ-ПБН) – V”)
Maryanovskiy, M.F., Pivovarova, N.A., Sobol, I.S. (editors), Memorial Book of Jewish Soldiers Who Died in Battles Against Nazism – 1941-1945 – Volume VIII (Surnames beginning with all letters of the alphabet), Union of Jewish War Invalids and Veterans, Moscow, Russian Federation, 2005 – (“KPVE-PBN (КПВЕ-ПБН) – VIII”)
Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: I – Jewish Soldiers and Officers of the Polish People’s Army Killed and Missing in Action 1943-1945 [“JMCPAWW2 I”], World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1994 – (“JMCPAWW2 I”)
Meirtchak, Benjamin, Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II: IV – Jewish Officers, Prisoners-of-War Murdered in Katyn Crime – Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Resistance Movement – An Addendum [“JMCPAWW2 IV”], World Federation of Jewish Fighters Partisans and Camp Inmates: Association of Jewish War Veterans of the Polish Armies in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1997 – (“JMCPAWW2 IV”)
Morris, Henry, Edited by Gerald Smith, We Will Remember Them – A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown 1939 – 1945 – Volume I, Brassey’s, London, England, 1989 – (“WWRT I”)
No Author
Au Service de la France (Edité à l’occasion du 10ème anniversaire de l’Union des Engagés Volontaires et Anciens Combattants Juifs 1939-1945), l’Union Des Engagés Volontaires Et Anciens Combattants Juifs, Paris (?), France, 1955 – (“ASDLF”)
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